Plague Watch 2010 - ?

I'm starting this plague to watch and track plagues that are and will be occurring.

I wrote an article that I wrote for our Ministry newsletter and my blog,
which I would also like to share here as an explanation as to why this thread is being created. Below are the plagues that I have tracked over the
past week and I will updating this thread (and encourage others as well) as new plagues are introduced:

A 59-year-old local woman was found to have contracted H5N1 avian flu virus after visiting the mainland last month, Hong Kong Secretary for Food and
Health York Chow said Wednesday. Speaking at a press briefing Wednesday evening, Chow said the patient went to the mainland on Oct. 23 where she
visited places including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing. She developed flu symptoms such as cough and fever on Nov. 2, one day after returning to Hong
Kong, and was later admitted to Tun Mun Hospital. Chow said since the patient, who is now in a serious condition, had been to wet markets in the
mainland, he believed that the contraction was probably happened outside Hong Kong. But he did not rule out the possibility that it was a local case.
The Serious Response Level under the government's Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic is activated, said the city's health chief, adding that the
government will submit the case to the World Health Organization and various departments will call on a conference on Nov. 18. There was an outbreak
of the disease in 1997 in Hong Kong in which six people died. About 1.5 million poultry were killed to prevent further spread of the disease.

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea's cholera outbreak appears to have spread. Thirteen children have died on a remote island near the maritime border with Australia in
the Torres Strait. Infection rates have slowed after the outbreak began on PNG's north coast in August last year and spread throughout the mainland.
Now the disease appears to have surfaced on remote Daru Island, 50 kilometres from Saibai Island on the Australian side of the Torres Strait. The
National newspaper reports 13 children have died from cholera-like symptoms and 64 other people are being treated in the local hospital. Australia's
aid agency AusAID is monitoring the situation and working to confirm the details. A spokesman says they will discuss the issue with the World Health
Organisation and the PNG government and may consider a joint mission to the island.

Granada

Sources at the Provincial Health Delegation reported to Europa Press that during the measles outbreak registered in Granada [the capital city of
Granada province], the number of infected people has increased to 20, including 4 minors who were admitted to the Maternal and Child Hospital of
Granada but whose condition is not serious. The 1st case was detected in the Gomez Moreno Preschool and Primary School, located in the Albaicin
neighbourhood, among a group of children who had not been vaccinated by their parents, a situation which led to the outbreak spreading to the other
people, 5 of whom were from the school and [of these only] 2 adults. The health authorities have advised parents of students at this school to have
their children vaccinated immediately, and newsletters are being sent to them urging them to have to all their schoolchildren vaccinated, if not
previously immunised. The Andalusian health minister, Maria Jesus Montero, stated last week [week of 1 Nov 2010] that "measles is usually a disease
that progresses with mild symptoms and no major consequences," and stressed that measles is one of the diseases "that can be eradicated because there
is an effective vaccine available to immunise the population." Of the 20 cases recorded so far, 4 have been admitted to the Maternal and Child
Hospital, but none of them is seriously ill.

Haiti

An outbreak of diarrhoea in Haiti has claimed at least 50 lives and hundreds are being treated in local hospitals. "We have registered 51 or 52 deaths
along the Artibonite river which crosses the centre and north of the country," doctor Arial Henry, director of the health minister's office, said.
According to local radio, most of the dead have been taken to hospitals in Saint-Marc, about 100km north of the capital. Haiti is still struggling to
rebuild after a devastating 7.0 earthquake ravaged the capital, Port-au-Prince, in January, leaving more than 250,000 people dead and another 1.2
million homeless. Aid agencies have voiced fears for months that any outbreak of disease could spread rapidly among the population due to the
unsanitary conditions in the makeshift camps housing the homeless, with little access to clean water. The impoverished Caribbean nation has also been
hit in recent days by severe flooding adding to the misery of those struggling to survive in the scores of tent cities now dotting the country. "An
investigation is underway to determine where this outbreak might have originated and analyses are being carried out in the national laboratory in
Haiti," Dr Henry added. "Some people died in their homes in the Artibonite region and in central Haiti and several hundreds have been hospitalised and
are under being monitored," another official added.

Somalia

At least 19 children under the age of 5 have died of measles while dozens more are suffering from the same disease in the lower Shabelle region of
southern Somalia, local residents said Tuesday. With no medical facilities present in the village of Lego, locals reported more than 30 children under
5 had come down with the disease. “We used to get various vaccinations and free food from international relief organizations by going nowhere, but
right now, everything has changed; no aid agency, no immunization today,” said a local resident who asked his name not be used, spelling out that Al
Shabaab stood in their way to access free medicine and aid food. Al Shabaab, which controls large swaths in the southern and northern regions of the
country, has banned aid agencies from operating in southern and central Somalia. Measles is highly contagious. Infection occurs by coming into contact
with fluids released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Just under 200,000 children affected by measles die every year worldwide, according to
Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF). Even though a safe and effective vaccine exists, outbreaks occur all round the world because routine immunization
programmes are not in place or are not effective. Meanwhile, severe drought has hit in the region, and people and domestic animals are close to dying
of thirst and hunger, according to Muse Adam Hassan, a local elder in the village, located southwest of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. “One barrel
of water is worth 30,000 up to 40,000 Somali shilling ($1 to $1.50),” Hassan added. In August, Al Shabaab also ordered three international aid
agencies--World Vision, Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Diakonia--to stop serving in Somalia, claiming they were "actively propagating
Christianity" in the Horn of Africa country. The terrorist group warned other aid organizations not to take up their work, mentioning action would be
taken against them. Relief agencies serving inside Somalia say aid to millions of Somalis is hampered by the danger that aid workers face and a lack
of respect for international humanitarian law by the parties to the conflict.

Congo

An explosive outbreak of polio is taking place in the Congo Republic, with 201 cases of paralysis found in two weeks and 104 deaths, the World Health
Organization said Tuesday. The government in Brazzaville, the nation’s capital, has declared an emergency and announced plans to vaccinate the
entire population with oral drops three times with help from the W.H.O., Unicef and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In
Pointe Noire, the port city where most of the cases are concentrated, “We’ve got two hospitals with hundreds of paralyzed people and many dead,”
Dr. Bruce Aylward, the W.H.O.’s director of global polio eradication, said in an interview from Geneva. “And a couple of things about this
outbreak are different and deeply disturbing.” Polio normally strikes young boys and girls equally, killing no more than 20 percent of those it
paralyzes; death ensues when paralysis moves up the spine to the nerves that control the breathing muscles. In Pointe Noire, 85 percent of the cases
are in teenagers and adults, most victims are male, and the death rate is much higher.

However, Dr. Aylward said, as his team on its way there learns more, the outbreak could begin to look more typical, albeit still serious. “We’ve
only heard about this in the last seven days,” he said. “This is very much under investigation.” Pointe Noire is unusual in that rebel activity
has so cut off its roads that the city is “almost like an island,” he said, with few outside children visiting. Routine polio vaccination in
central Africa began only in the 1980s and focuses on children under age 5, so few adults are protected. Also, the weakened live virus in the vaccine
spreads in the same way the disease virus does, shed in feces. Because mothers and sisters tend to change babies’ diapers, they may have picked up
that accidental form of protection. Also, the hospitals are probably seeing only serious cases, making the death rate artificially high. “We’re
still dealing with the fog of war,” Dr. Aylward said. “We don’t have exact data.” In 1996, he noted, there was an adult outbreak in
long-isolated Albania after a few years in which only children got the modern vaccine. It will take a few weeks to see whether the intense central
African vaccination campaigns of the last few years can fence off this outbreak, Dr. Aylward said. He called the situation in the Congo Republic an
unexpected setback in what had otherwise been a great year in fighting polio. Nigeria, long Africa’s polio hot spot, had a 98 percent drop in cases
since 2009, and 14 of the 15 countries with outbreaks of the Nigerian strain snuffed them out. The Congo Republic outbreak is of an Indian strain that
was first found in Angola in 2007 and is creeping north.

Taiwan

A woman who mistook her fever and skin rash as symptoms of a cold was found to have scrub typhus, an acute infectious disease, according to the
Tzu-Chi Buddhist General Hospital's Talin branch in the southern county of Chiayi. Lai Chung-chang, a doctor at the hospital, said that a woman, aged
over 50, went to a mountainous area to pick tea leaves last month, and then came down with a fever and saw roseola spread around her arms and legs a
few days later. The woman took flu medicine initially, but the fever failed to ease, forcing her to seek treatment at the Tzu-Chi hospital. As the
doctor in charge, Lai sent the blood sample of the woman to the Center for Disease Control for examination, proving that she had contracted the scrub
typhus or the tsutsugamushi disease. The woman, after taking oral antibiotics for a week, got well and has since been discharged from hospital,
according to Lai. He said that if sufferers of the disease fail to receive proper medical treatment in time, they might suffer organ failure,
eventually leading to death. Lai said tsutsugamushi disease cases have been reported across the island, with the outlying Kinmen county and the
eastern county of Pingtung reporting the most cases.

Mongolia

A new, still unknown to the medical fraternity flu virus has been found in Mongolia. The symptoms of this influenza are similar to the so-called
‘bird’ and ‘swine’ flu viruses. The virus is classified as H3N2 strain. In Ulan Bator, already 17 cases of this influenza have been
registered. Young children are considered to be at greatest risk. Chief Public Relations Officer at National Research Center for Infectious Diseases
in Mongolia Chuluunbat Urtnasan explained that doctors currently do not know how to protect themselves from the virus H3N2. According to him, the main
attention should be paid to protecting the body from cold. Body weakened by cold body can be prone to be infected by this new type of virus, report
agencies. Chuluunbat Urtnasan has asked people to contact doctors for medical help at the very first symptoms of infection. He recommends to often
ventilate and do wet cleaning at at work and at home. In the absence of fever, the patients have been recommended to take heat procedures, and
baths.

England

A suspected outbreak of the winter bug norovirus is being investigated at a Cardiff city centre hotel. The Park Plaza hotel is thought to have been
hit with the winter sickness bug after a guest is suspected to have brought the virus in to a function room last week. It has been confirmed that 127
cases of norovirus have been identified in guests who used the function room in the hotel at Greyfriars Road, Cardiff between 24 and 27 November 2010.
The hotel was made aware of the of the problem on Monday after a number of guests contacted staff after they had fallen ill over the weekend. The
suspected outbreak is now being investigated by Cardiff Council. A spokesperson said: "Cardiff Council’s Communicable Disease Team is currently
investigating an outbreak of suspected norovirus associated with the Park Plaza Hotel. "The suspected norovirus was notified to us by the hotel and
the investigation is being undertaken with the full co-operation of the hotel management," The norovirus bug is a highly contagious virus and can be
transmitted through contact with people who have got the virus of through contaminated food. It is estimated that norovirus typically affects between
600,000 and a million people in the UK each year and is common during the colder months of the year and is highly infectious. Symptoms include
vomiting and/or diarrhoea, and usually last between 24 and 48 hours. Most makes a full recovery. However, some people, usually the very young or
elderly, may become very dehydrated and require hospital treatment.

In January, the virus claimed up to 500,000 victims forcing hospital wards to close to try to stop the disease spreading. In a statement the hotel
said the area where the suspected outbreak occurred had been sanitised and any further risk of the infection spreading had been stopped. The statement
said: "The hotel only became aware of the spread on Monday morning when we were contacted by individuals who had fallen ill over the weekend. "We
immediately contacted senior officers from the city's environmental health department who assessed the situation and are continuing to work with us.
"Upon advice from environmental health officers, we have sanitised and quarantined the infected area, using an approved contractor, and have
eradicated any potential further risk." The statement added that the Hotel had not been notified of any further cases since last Monday and apologised
to the guests who had fallen ill. They said: "The hotel would like to stress there have been no other reports of the virus being contracted from any
other area of the hotel and we deeply regret the obvious discomfort to which some of our guests have been subjected." Executive Member for
Environment, Coun Margaret Jones, said: "Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prevent Norovirus occurring in the community. However, taking good
hygiene measures, like frequent hand washing, can reduce the spread of infection. "The Communicable Disease Team has worked with the hotel to ensure
remedial measures have been taken. They continue to monitor the situation closely."

Florida

The Miami-Dade Health Department said Monday night they have confirmed their first case of cholera. According to test results, an airline passenger
who arrived on a flight to Miami International Airport on Thanksgiving evening had contracted cholera in Haiti, the department said. The unidentified
man, believed to be a doctor, arrived on an American Airlines flight from neighboring Dominican Republic. He became ill during the flight and told
officials he had spent time working in Haiti. The man is recovering from the illness. Cholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine that
causes severe dehydration. In some situations it is contagious -- in rare instances it has been transmitted though the carrier's contaminated hands
and vomit. Untreated cases can be fatal. Passengers from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are being scrutinized in Florida due to an outbreak in Haiti
which has killed hundreds. This marks the third confirmed case of cholera in Florida. In November, a Collier County woman who had returned from Haiti
was found to be suffering from the disease. She has recovered. A second case has been confirmed by health officials.

Ukraine

Flu infection is approaching epidemic levels in the former Soviet republic Ukraine and most of the victims are children, a senior health official said
Tuesday. More than 64,000 persons have been identified as having caught the flu since the season's first registered case in November, and almost 80
per cent of the victims have been school-age children, said Serhy Ryzhenko, chief of the Health Ministry's epidemics division. Flu strains present in
the outbreak include the influenza A subtype H1N1 "swine flu" virus and the A subtype H3N2 virus, according to laboratory testing cited by the report.
Infection rates increased more than 17 per cent since last week, he said, according to comments placed on the ministry web site. The Health Ministry
formally declares an epidemic in progress when more than one per cent of all persons in the total population are infected with a disease. The level of
flu infection is approaching, but has not yet passed that threshold, Ryzhenko said. The hardest-hit regions are in Ukraine's eastern Zaporizhia and
Poltava provinces. Ukraine's government on Friday closed nursery schools and most kindergartens nationwide to control the outbreak, and has added
staff to health clinics in areas of high infection. Swine flu caused 16 confirmed deaths in Ukraine during the disease's 2009 pandemic. The 2009
outbreak showed up failings in Ukraine's national health system, particularly vaccine shortages and poorly-trained staff.

Hungary

Reports reaching our service desk from reliable sources in the town of Fiq and its environs confirm the outbreak of cholera in the area. Many people
have died as a result of this outbreak of cholera. Up to the time of going to press with this report, there has been no emergency medical aid provided
to the dwellers of the Fiq town and its environs. The cholera outbreak in the area started about a month ago however due to the ongoing blockade of
the movement of both people and goods in all of Ogaden, it has been difficult to get accurate information from the area before now. Our reporter who
traveled to the area on foot indicated that the lack of clean drinking water and the availability of basic medical necessities such as glucose have
exacerbated the situation. . Our source indicated that many people who could have survived this cholera outbreak are dying because of the lack of
clean water.

Hungary - Update

At least 160 residents of two villages in Cebu province have reportedly been hit by a supposed typhoid fever, even as health authorities suspect a
contaminated water system as the cause. Radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate reported Wednesday at least 30 of the 160 residents from Poblacion and Sta.
Filomena village in Alegria town have been hospitalized. Local health authorities said the 160 residents showed symptoms of typhoid, including a
week-long fever, when they went to the town health center for checkup. The report said health authorities are now taking blood samples from the
affected residents to double-check if they were affected by typhoid. For its part, the Department of Health is studying the possibility of declaring
an outbreak of typhoid in the two villages. Alegria is a fourth-class town with a population of 21,699 people.

Tanzania

Four people died and 58 were hospitalised following a fresh outbreak of cholera in the eastern Tanzanian region of Morogoro, an official said
Wednesday. "Three of the deceased persons are members of the same family," Morogoro regional health officer, Cares Lyimo said. He said the first cases
in the area were reported two weeks ago and added that 58 people had since been admitted to hospital with cholera symptoms. Lyimo said water shortages
in the region, forcing residents to buy unsafe water from vendors, were to blame for the outbreak. The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio
cholerae and is spread by consuming contaminated food or water. Around 60 people died of cholera in Tanzania's northeastern Tanga region in September
and October.

Indonesia

The bird flu virus [avian A/(H5N1) influenza virus] has re-emerged. The Specific Diseases and Isolation Team at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung has
confirmed a [human] case of influenza A/(H5N1) virus infection in a resident of Holis Street, Bandung. The source of the virus is unknown. A spokesman
stated that the team of doctors at the Sadikin Hospital had received confirmation today [Wed 8 Dec 2010] from the Agency for Health Development
Research of the Ministry of Health in Jakarta, which had examined a sample from the 21-year-old patient. The patient has been undergoing treatment in
an intensive care unit since Mon 22 Nov 2010. On arrival, the patient was experiencing severe pain, and according to a specialist in internal
medicine, the patient was exhibiting symptoms characteristic of bird flu patients. The symptoms of people with bird flu, following the incubation
period of 1-7 days, are similar to those of patients suffering from upper respiratory tract infection; namely, high fever up to temperatures beyond 38
C, sore throat, headache, sudden weakness, and in the most serious cases, pneumonia. The initial symptoms resemble those of the common cold.

The patient's condition has now gradually improved and assisted respiration has been terminated. The patient now has no fever and is lucid and with
only a residual cough. When the patient's breathing becomes normal, the patient will be discharged. The team of doctors has not been able to confirm
the source of the infection. But according to the team leader, the patient had been fond of eating cooked chicken. Bandung City Health Department
officials and the local Community Health Centre who have monitored the patient's living quarters and surroundings have not discovered anything that
might be the source of the virus. On Wed 8 Dec 2010, the Head of the Disease Monitoring service stated that none of the patient's relatives, other
house occupants and neighbours had contracted avian influenza virus infection. No poultry were kept in the patient's house, and there had been no
sudden deaths of poultry in the vicinity of the patient's home.

Uganda

A total of 13 people have been reported dead in Abim and Agago districts, following an outbreak of a strange disease in Abim. 20 cases have been
reported in Abim district, out of whom 8 have already died. In neighbouring Agago district, 5 cases have been reported in the sub counties of Omiya
P'Chua and Paimol, which border Abim district. Emmanuel Okech, an official from the Abim district health office, said out of the 20 cases, 8 have
died, 2 have been quarantined, and another 10 have been discharged after their conditions improved. According to Okech, the affected persons have high
fever, vomit blood, pass bloody stools, and also bleed from other openings like the nose and ears. "The victims usually die between 3 and 5 days and
are suspected to be highly contagious," Okech said. Last week [week ending 14 Nov 2010], a team from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of
Health went to Abim and are investigating the disease. According to Okech, samples were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute, but there is
still no clue as to what disease is affecting the people there.

"We were suspecting viral hemorrhagic infection, but results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute have ruled out Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa," Okech
said. He said samples from the affected persons have now been flown to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. On [Tue 16 Nov
2010], the district health officer of Agago district, Dr Emmanuel Otto, announced that 5 people had died in Paimol and Omiya P'Chua from infections
similar to those reported in Abim. Dr. Otto said he was also expecting a team of doctors from the World Health Organization and the Health Ministry in
Agago to go to the affected sub-counties and conduct tests to ascertain the nature of the disease. According to Emmanuel Okech, more than 10 percent
of patients treated in Abim Hospital are from neighboring Agago district, raising suspicions that the 5 who died in Agago could have contracted the
disease while they went for treatment in Abim Hospital. Meanwhile, authorities in Abim district have put up an isolation center for those suspected to
have contracted the disease.

Illinois

Four new cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, were reported to the Madison County Health Department this week, officials said Tuesday.
Pertussis is a respiratory illness that is highly contagious because it is so easily spread from person to person. The disease is transmitted by
people breathing in the bacteria from infected people who cough or sneeze. Debrah Knoll, personal health services manager for the Madison County
Health Department, said in a news release that symptoms start with a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. After one or
two weeks, the coughing can become severe with numerous, rapid coughs that include the characteristic high-pitched "whooping " sound. The patient may
turn blue or even vomit during the coughing fit. The coughing attacks occur more frequently at night. Pertussis can be treated with a course of the
appropriate antibiotics. Unfortunately, many people do not realize they have pertussis until after they have exposed others. Pertussis can cause
life-threatening, even fatal, complications in young children, especially those younger than 1 year of age who are not fully vaccinated. Children are
vaccinated against pertussis at 2, 4, 6 and 15 months old, plus another dose before entering school at 4 to 6 years old. Many infants get pertussis
from infected older siblings, parents or caregivers. Although many people do not believe this illness still occurs, the national Centers for Disease
Control reported that nearly 19,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States last year, Knoll said. Vaccination is the best option for
countering this disease.

Fiji

The Ministry of Health is warning parents and guardians of a new viral illness, affecting children. The ministry says children generally get high
fever, rashes or blisters on the palm of their hands, soles of their feet and around the mouth with seizers in severe cases. Spokesperson Peni Namotu
says there has been 20-30 cases per month since October this year, with a handful of cases requiring admissions. “Viral illness can be mistaken for
chicken pox or scabies but parents need to seek medical attention if their children experience high fever with the peculiar rash especially if
seizures or fits occur.” He adds experts believe the illness is spread from person to person by direct contact. Namotu is advising the general
public to take preventative measures and visit the nearest health centre if any of the symptoms present themselves.

Denmark

Denmark is facing a nationwide pneumonia epidemic following a tenfold increase in the number of positive tests, local media reported Thursday, citing
medical experts. The experts said mycoplasma pneumonia, caused by bacteria, has been spreading rapidly among the Danish. "We have noticed that the
number of positive tests for mycoplasma pneumonia has greatly increased over time, and it has now reached epidemic proportions," said Kaare Moelbak,
director of the Danish National Serum Institute. This is the first time since 2005 that Denmark is hit by a bacterial pneumonia epidemic. "This
particular disease can occur from time to time, usually with five to six years of time interval. Mycoplasma pneumonia usually lasts longer than an
influenza epidemic. We estimate that the current epidemic will continue around three or four months," said Moelbak. Mycoplasma pneumonia, commonly
known as cold pneumonia in Denmark, has typical symptoms such as long-term cough, fever and chest pain. It most affects children aged five to 15 years
old and people in the 25-45 age group. "Although we call it cold pneumonia, one can still risk a fever from the pneumonia. However, the fever is
milder than in a normal pneumonia," he added.

Egypt

Dozens of children in Fayoum Governorate have contracted an unknown viral disease with symptoms similar to that of the common cold. They have been
detained in local hospitals. The General Hospital of Fayoum Governorate has notified the Department of Health in Fayoum Youm7 newspaper, quoting an
official source at Fayoum's Health Department, reported that dozens of children in Fayoum Governorate have contracted an illness with common cold-like
symptoms. They are not responding to treatment including several days of nutritional care in hospital. The official source added that this new type of
virus has not been identified, and reported that hospitals in different parts of the province have admitted 30-40 children daily who are suffering
from this so far undiagnosed disease. More than 200 children are now under treatment. The Directorate of Health in Fayoum is being urged to take
action and declare an emergency situation in anticipation of the increasing number of children affected by this disease.

Philippines

At least 160 residents of two villages in Cebu province have reportedly been hit by a supposed typhoid fever, even as health authorities suspect a
contaminated water system as the cause. Radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate reported Wednesday at least 30 of the 160 residents from Poblacion and Sta.
Filomena village in Alegria town have been hospitalized. Local health authorities said the 160 residents showed symptoms of typhoid, including a
week-long fever, when they went to the town health center for checkup. The report said health authorities are now taking blood samples from the
affected residents to double-check if they were affected by typhoid. For its part, the Department of Health is studying the possibility of declaring
an outbreak of typhoid in the two villages. Alegria is a fourth-class town with a population of 21,699 people.

Mongolia

A new, still unknown to the medical fraternity flu virus has been found in Mongolia. The symptoms of this influenza are similar to the so-called
‘bird’ and ‘swine’ flu viruses. The virus is classified as H3N2 strain. In Ulan Bator, already 17 cases of this influenza have been
registered. Young children are considered to be at greatest risk. Chief Public Relations Officer at National Research Center for Infectious Diseases
in Mongolia Chuluunbat Urtnasan explained that doctors currently do not know how to protect themselves from the virus H3N2. According to him, the main
attention should be paid to protecting the body from cold. Body weakened by cold body can be prone to be infected by this new type of virus, report
agencies. Chuluunbat Urtnasan has asked people to contact doctors for medical help at the very first symptoms of infection. He recommends to often
ventilate and do wet cleaning at at work and at home. In the absence of fever, the patients have been recommended to take heat procedures, and baths.

"Plagues of blowflies are killing sheep across Australia, as wet and humid conditions make livestock more susceptible to flystrike. Experts are
calling it a "fly wave", and the insects are rapidly multiplying thanks to the rainy weather. "

"The ministry said they had confirmed that the strange sickness was plague, not a hemorrhagic fever as earlier thought. “It is controllable, though
fatal. We have sent another team to beef up the one we already had on the ground,” it added. The disease surveillance officer in Kitgum district,
Sr. Grace Agwang, said preliminary results from the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta showed that it was plague."

"THE mysterious disease that has devastated parts of Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions for close to a month could be human plague. Kitgum district LC5
chairman, John Komakech Ogwok, quoting sources from the World Health Organisation, said on Friday evening that preliminary tests point at the plague.
“Information from the World Health Organisation says that the strange disease that has been disturbing us seems to be plague."

Bubonic Plague Suspected as Cause of Ugandan Outbreak That Has Killed 38

"Bubonic plague is suspected as the cause of a disease outbreak that has killed 38 people in northern Uganda in the past month, the Ministry of Health
said."

This is all par for the course. There are more humans, spread wider across the globe, with quicker means of both travel and communication. An
increase in the report of disease, locusts, and so forth is to be expected from each of these facts.

More of us means more of us who might catch something at once.

Spread across the globe means there are more diseases unique to certain regions.

When we travel faster, we bring any bugs with us more quickly. They spread faster because we're in contact.

Faster means of communication mean that we're constantly updating our reports of individual disease, and so very little of it goes
unreported.

A total of 13 people have been reported dead in Abim and Agago districts, following an outbreak of a strange disease in Abim. 20 cases have been
reported in Abim district, out of whom 8 have already died. In neighbouring Agago district, 5 cases have been reported in the sub counties of Omiya
P'Chua and Paimol, which border Abim district. Emmanuel Okech, an official from the Abim district health office, said out of the 20 cases, 8 have
died, 2 have been quarantined, and another 10 have been discharged after their conditions improved. According to Okech, the affected persons have high
fever, vomit blood, pass bloody stools, and also bleed from other openings like the nose and ears. "The victims usually die between 3 and 5 days and
are suspected to be highly contagious," Okech said. Last week [week ending 14 Nov 2010], a team from the World Health Organization and the Ministry
of Health went to Abim and are investigating the disease. According to Okech, samples were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute, but there is
still no clue as to what disease is affecting the people there.

"We were suspecting viral hemorrhagic infection, but results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute have ruled out Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa,"
Okech said. He said samples from the affected persons have now been flown to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. On [Tue 16
Nov 2010], the district health officer of Agago district, Dr Emmanuel Otto, announced that 5 people had died in Paimol and Omiya P'Chua from
infections similar to those reported in Abim. Dr. Otto said he was also expecting a team of doctors from the World Health Organization and the Health
Ministry in Agago to go to the affected sub-counties and conduct tests to ascertain the nature of the disease. According to Emmanuel Okech, more than
10 percent of patients treated in Abim Hospital are from neighboring Agago district, raising suspicions that the 5 who died in Agago could have
contracted the disease while they went for treatment in Abim Hospital. Meanwhile, authorities in Abim district have put up an isolation center for
those suspected to have contracted the disease.

Egypt

About 85 workers at Imperial Shams resort in Red Sea’s Safaga suffered food poisoning on Saturday following lunch at a staff cafeteria. They were
taken to hospitals in Hurgada and Safaga where they underwent stomach pumping. A report was filed at Safaga’s police department. Authorities
confiscated the toxic foods and send samples for analysis at health department labs. Investigators plan to interview the victims.

United Kingdom

The swine flu virus has claimed the lives of ten adults in the UK in the past six weeks. UK Health chiefs have urged people to take up the flu vaccine
after it emerged that the swine flu virus which swept the country last year has claimed the lives of ten adults. A spokeswoman for the HPA has said
that the deaths were in younger adults under 65 and that most had underlying conditions but 'a small proportion' were healthy before contracting the
virus. Professor John Watson, head of respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: 'Over the last few weeks we have seen a rise in the number of
cases of seasonal flu, including both H1N1 (2009) and flu B, in the community. '

India

A two year old baby girl, Masrat Bano, daughter of Mohammad Shafi and three-year-old Mukhtar Ahmad, son of Nazir Ahmad have died due to outbreak of
measles in Churunda village of Uri this week. At least twenty eight children, they said were infected due to the disease that broke out earlier this
week. “2 kids have died of measles in the last two days. We also have 243 children who’re suffering from acute respiratory infection (ARI) and
other diseases. Among them, 28 are infected with measles,” Block Medical Officer (BMO) Uri, Dr Farooq Ahmad told Kashmir Dispatch. Over 200 children
were suffering from other respiratory diseases in Tigawadi, Bradgran and Thajal villages of the area. Several teams of doctors have been sent to
affected areas to control the disease that has triggered panic among the parents. Farooq, who has been camping in the affected villages from the last
three days said teams of doctors from the district were working to control the spread of disease. The doctors, he said have also started a vaccination
drive in the villages that are located close to the LoC. Chief Medical officer (CMO), Baramulla Dr Mohammad Shafi Saraf said the department was taking
all steps to provide medical facilities in the affected areas. “We have sent team of doctors and paramedics to the affected areas. If need be, more
staff will be sent,” Saraf said. “My son was also suffering from measles. However, the efforts of doctors saved his life,” Bashir Ahmad, a local
said.

Tanzania

A mysterious disease has hit 2 journalists here in the Kagera Region -- one employed by the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and the other a
free-lancer with Radio Free Africa/Star TV -- causing them to be partially paralyzed for more than a month now. The duo reportedly developed symptoms
similar to those of a stroke which 1st attacked the Radio Free Africa reporter a few days before the 31 Oct 2010 elections. A few days later the TBC
reporter was struck down by the disease, according to close relatives. The duo have since been admitted to Bukoba Regional Hospital where the hospital
authorities have been tight-lipped [avoiding] comment on the strange illness.

A stroke, also known medically as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is a consequence of rapidly developing loss of brain function due to blood [clots
forming in the brain]. This could be due to ischemia (lack of blood flow) caused by blockage (thrombosis, arterial embolism) or a haemorrhage. As a
result the affected area of the brain is unable to function, leading to inability to move one or more limbs on one side of the body, inability to
understand or formulate speech, or an inability to see one side of the visual field. The news about the journalists' unknown disease [illness] has
left some people here terrified especially after reports on the outbreak of a mysterious disease in neighbouring Uganda. This disease is reported to
have killed 38 people in the Agago, Abim and Kitgum districts in northern Uganda so far, and medical tests have so far failed to identify it. The
Ugandan Ministry of Health said the preliminary tests had ruled out ebola [haemorrhagic fever], typhoid and several other diseases. It said some test
results suggested it might be plague, but further tests were being carried out. The Ugandan patients complain of a severe headache and dizziness,
which eventually give way to diarrhoea and vomiting.

The Ugandan Ministry said that a full recovery was possible if people sought medical help in early stages. It said the results suggesting that it was
plague were not consistent with findings by medical workers on the ground. The [Ugandan] Ministry had advised people not to eat meat from sick
domestic and wild animals and to take precautions such as washing hands regularly. The illness was 1st reported on 10 Nov 2010, and more than 90
people have been treated. The Ministry said it lasted for between 2 and 10 days, and that the vomit and diarrhoea contained blood. The Kagera Region
[of Tanzania] is also on high polio alert following reports that areas neighboring The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) risked a major resurgence of
the disease after 63 cases were discovered this year.

The warning came after neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville [Republic of Congo] earlier last month [November 2010] said an epidemic had killed 169 people
since October, a decade after the disease was considered to have been eradicated there. Sources at the Kagera Regional Hospital told the 'Daily
News' that health officials were undertaking 24-hour surveillance at all entry points to check new polio and amoebic dysentery cases. The entry
points include Rusumo and Kabanga, in Ngara district, Kaisho and Murongo, in Karagwe district, Kyaka and Mutukula, in Misenyi district. Poliomyelitis
(polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus
enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestines. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and
pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5 to 10 percent die when their
breathing muscles become immobilized.

Health authorities in Russia's southern Kuban region will slaughter hundreds of pigs possibly infected with African Pig Plague, reported on Tuesday.
Health experts do not believe African Pig Plague to be dangerous to humans, but pigs and pork infected with the disease are not safe for human
consumption. Health inspectors detected presence of the disease in early December, and authorities have placed a five-kilometre quarantine zone around
a farm found to contain six infected animals, said Igor Tsokur, an Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman. The destruction of 904 animals at the
swine farm near the village Staroshcherbinskiy is necessary to prevent the spread of the disease, Tsokur said. The last outbreak of pig plague in the
area was registered in November, at another Kuban province farm. Health officials destroyed more than 5,000 animals. Pig Plague is also known as
classical swine fever or hog cholera. African Pig Plague is a strain of the disease thought to have first appeared in the Caucasus region 5 t0 6 years
ago, since then spreading to Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine.

No fewer than 100 persons are feared dead as a water borne disease, confirmed to be cholera, ravaged the entire five local government areas of Adamawa
Southern Senatorial Zone: Madagali, Michika, Maiha, Mubi North and Mubi South. A similar outbreak in May and June left over 200 persons dead, and the
zone declared epidemic disaster area. Local community sources disclosed to Vanguard weekend in Yola that the outbreak of the disease this time around
was first noticed penultimate Thursday, and had engulfed the entire five local government areas as at yesterday. According to the sources, the spread
of the disease looks was very fast as the epidemic looked like it was being pread by the wind. One source was even of the view that the cholera
epidemic might be spreading from the Republic of Cameroon which the five local governments share common borders with. Vanguard further learnt that the
casualty figure might be much higher, even as more cases are being recorded while the disease continue to spread from one village to another in the
mountainous border towns. It was also learnt that medical supplies provided by basic health centres in the affected areas could not meet the demand
caused by the magnitude of the epidemic. Scores of villagers, who spoke to correspondents on condition of anonymity, regretted that as was the case in
the previous outbreak, state government intervention came late. Adamawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tijjani Maksha, could not be reached for
comments. Sources at the ministry, however, told Vanguard that the current outbreak might be the left over of the previous ones which has not been
properly handled to prevent the re-occurrence.

Flu morbidity has exceeded the epidemic threshold in six regions of the country: Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Poltava, Sumy and Chernivtsi regions
and in 172 administrative territories (districts, cities).

According to Ukraine's chief sanitary officer Serhiy Ryzhenko, the epidemic threshold was slightly exceeded in 142 administrative territories.
Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign is in progress with over 400,000 people already vaccinated.

A kindergarten in Budapest's District XII remained closed on Monday and Tuesday after a serious infection causing vomiting and diarrhea had started
to spread among children last week. The local chief medical officer ordered the Táltoscsikó utca kindergarten to remain closed for two days, because
by Friday of last week, 60% of children had gotten sick. The cause of the illness is not known, but food poisoning has been ruled out.

A mysterious illness has struck residents of Oas town in Albay, health officials said. The illness, which is suspected to be hepatitis-A, already
caused 21 people to fall ill, according to municipal health officer Dr. Marie Jane Revereza. She said blood samples from the patients have been sent
to the National Epidemiological Center for analysis. The disease first struck 3 weeks ago, according to residents. It has now spread to 10 villages in
Oas town. The symptoms include vomiting, stomach ache, and yellowish eyes and skin. An initial investigation by the health office hinted that the
illness could be caused by dirty water being used by the villagers.

Foot and mouth disease that originated in North Gyeongsang Province has spread to Gyeonggi Province. The Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Ministry said Wednesday that a close inspection by the National Veterinary and Quarantine Service confirmed additional cases of the disease at two pig
farms in Yangju and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Since the disease was first detected on Nov. 29 in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, it has spread
to areas outside the province. The two pig farms in Gyeonggi, which raise some 1,200 pigs each, have the same owner. Suspected symptoms at a Korean
cattle farm in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, are also confirmed to be those of foot and mouth disease. The government has begun culling
cows and pigs within a 500-meter radius from the affected farms. This has raised the number of slaughtered animals to 169,087, breaking the previous
national high of 160,155 in 2002. Quarantine authorities are also inspecting a milk cow farm in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, 15 kilometers from an
affected farm in Yeoncheon. The farm reported suspected symptoms to authorities the same day. The investigation on how the disease spread from North
Gyeongsang to Gyeonggi has failed to find a clear epidemiological connection, however. The ministry said, “Foreign workers who worked in Gunwi,
North Gyeongsang Province, began working at the affected farm in Yeoncheon on Dec. 3, but Gunwi is not among the suspected areas for the disease,”
adding, “Given that only antigens of affected cows in both Yangju and Yeoncheon tested positive for the disease, they were recently infected with
the virus.” The government is also investigating a possible outbreak of a different form of the disease from that detected in North Gyeongsang. The
final results will come out Thursday. With the disease spreading across the nation, the government is under fire for poor quarantine procedures since
it set up no quarantine checkpoints until Tuesday in Gyeonggi.

Eighty-eight girl students of the hostel run by Karvenagar-based Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha (MKSSS) were on Friday evening admitted to
Deenanath Mangeshkar and Mai Mangeshkar hospitals for food poisoning. The students, aged between 10 and 20 years, complained of stomach ache and
started vomiting in the hostel around 6.30 pm. Director of the hostel, Ravindra Deshpande, said the students were rushed to the hospitals immediately.
"The hospital has discharged eight students after treatment. The rest are still in the hospital. The conditions of all the admitted students are
stable," Deshpande said. The MKSSS hostel houses about 500 students pursing studies in different schools and colleges. Deshpande said the students had
their lunch in the hostel. Sources in the hospital said the students had consumed poha for lunch.

Canada

Doctors have discovered the city's second case of measles this year, but unlike the first, this one was transmitted locally. As QMI Agency first
reported in early December, Ottawa Public Health alerted all local physicians about a middle-aged woman who contracted measles in the Philippines. At
the time, Ottawa's medical officer of health warned measles is a very dangerous and highly contagious infection. "Measles is very transmittable, and
once it's in the community, people can easily pick it up," Dr. Isra Levy told QMI Agency. "I wouldn't be surprised to see secondary cases, but we're
attacking this aggressively like all unusual infections." Measles is rare in Ottawa. The city hadn't seen a case since 2002 and there were only five
cases from 1995 to 2009. Measles is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. It is more severe in adults and infants than in children,
as most children are immunized at their school. Measles can lead to ear infections, pneumonia and swelling of the brain. Ottawa Public Health
recommends people keep their measles vaccination up to date. The vaccination is also recommended for many international travel destinations.

Japan

The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been detected in what appeared to be a wild swan that died earlier this month in the western Japan city
of Yonago, local officials said Saturday. The Tottori prefectural government unveiled the result of a test on the young tundra swan, which was found
reeling on the balcony of a residence in the city on Dec. 4 and died the following day. The location is within 10 kilometers of a poultry farm in
neighboring Yasugi, where over 20,000 chickens were culled by early this month after city officials confirmed an outbreak of the highly pathogenic
avian flu. The DNA structure of the strain found in the swan was "partially identical" to that found in the chickens, and there is a possibility that
the two strains are "related," said Tottori University professor Toshihiro Ito, who attended a meeting on the subject at the prefectural government on
Saturday. No abnormalities have so far been reported by four poultry farms located within a 10-km radius of the house in Yonago--an area now
designated by the Environment Ministry as needing the most vigilance. Meanwhile, the H5 strain of influenza has been detected in one of the two dead
swans found Thursday in a park in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, local government officials said Saturday. The bird had subsequently tested positive for
bird flu in a preliminary check. Toyama is located northeast of Tottori, and both face the Sea of Japan. Officials of the local government are also
conducting a further investigation into suspected cases of bird flu infection after another swan was spotted swimming feebly Saturday in the same
park. It was the second time a weakened mute swan was discovered in as many days in a moat inside the premises of the park in Takaoka city after the
dead swans were found there on Thursday. The Takaoka city government decided on Saturday to cull a total of 10 birds currently released in the moat
including swans and ducks.

Egyptian officials on Saturday announced the death of three Daqahlia Governorate residents by swine and bird flu infection. A Ministry of Health
statement claimed two of the cases were H1N1, commonly known as “swine flu," with one H5N1, dubbed "bird flu," case. The ages of the victims
ranged between 44-50 years old. Meanwhile, hospitals in five different provinces throughout Egypt--Gharbiya, Sharqiya, Daqahlia, Ismailia, and
Fayoum--on Saturday reportedly received 43 suspected flu cases. Laboratory results suggested 15 of them as H1N1 positive, with 19 others suspected of
carrying the virus. Three were announced H5N1 positive, with six others diagnosed in rudimentary stages of infection.

Severe and Fatal H1N1 In Previously Healthy Young Adults
Recombinomics Commentary 22:00
December 16, 2010
There have been reported four serious cases of confirmed hospitalized AnH1N1 influenza virus, they are all men aged 24-57 years who had no risk
factors and were admitted to the ICU between 5 and 11 December.

Up to week 49/2010 there have been nine severe cases confirmed and hospitalized, all men and 89% without risk factors.

The figures reveal all of the flu victims were aged under 65 and six were under 18 years-old.

At least eight of the 17 fatal cases was in an "at-risk" group - such as somebody with diabetes or asthma - but none were pregnant.

The above comments from week 49 reports out of Spain and the United Kingdom highlight severe and fatal H1N1 cases this season. Spain is trailing the
UK, and the week 49 report from the UK is trailing the HPA report due to the spike in severe and fatal cases in the past week.

A total of 13 people have been reported dead in Abim and Agago districts, following an outbreak of a strange disease in Abim. 20 cases have been
reported in Abim district, out of whom 8 have already died. In neighbouring Agago district, 5 cases have been reported in the sub counties of Omiya
P'Chua and Paimol, which border Abim district. Emmanuel Okech, an official from the Abim district health office, said out of the 20 cases, 8 have
died, 2 have been quarantined, and another 10 have been discharged after their conditions improved. According to Okech, the affected persons have high
fever, vomit blood, pass bloody stools, and also bleed from other openings like the nose and ears. "The victims usually die between 3 and 5 days and
are suspected to be highly contagious," Okech said. Last week [week ending 14 Nov 2010], a team from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of
Health went to Abim and are investigating the disease. According to Okech, samples were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute, but there is
still no clue as to what disease is affecting the people there.

"We were suspecting viral hemorrhagic infection, but results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute have ruled out Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa," Okech
said. He said samples from the affected persons have now been flown to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. On [Tue 16 Nov
2010], the district health officer of Agago district, Dr Emmanuel Otto, announced that 5 people had died in Paimol and Omiya P'Chua from infections
similar to those reported in Abim. Dr. Otto said he was also expecting a team of doctors from the World Health Organization and the Health Ministry in
Agago to go to the affected sub-counties and conduct tests to ascertain the nature of the disease. According to Emmanuel Okech, more than 10 percent
of patients treated in Abim Hospital are from neighboring Agago district, raising suspicions that the 5 who died in Agago could have contracted the
disease while they went for treatment in Abim Hospital. Meanwhile, authorities in Abim district have put up an isolation center for those suspected to
have contracted the disease.

Egypt

Egyptian officials on Saturday announced the death of three Daqahlia Governorate residents by swine and bird flu infection. A Ministry of Health
statement claimed two of the cases were H1N1, commonly known as “swine flu," with one H5N1, dubbed "bird flu," case. The ages of the victims ranged
between 44-50 years old. Meanwhile, hospitals in five different provinces throughout Egypt--Gharbiya, Sharqiya, Daqahlia, Ismailia, and Fayoum--on
Saturday reportedly received 43 suspected flu cases. Laboratory results suggested 15 of them as H1N1 positive, with 19 others suspected of carrying
the virus. Three were announced H5N1 positive, with six others diagnosed in rudimentary stages of infection.

Mbulu. Authorities in Mbulu District, Manyara Region, are scrambling to contain an outbreak of plague, an infectious disease spread by rodents.
Reports say at least seven people have been admitted to a special centre set up specifically to treat people who have contracted the disease. No
death has been reported so far.

Biosecurity SA says extra measures should be taken to minimise the threat of a plague. The organisation's Greg Mutze says landowners should ensure
pesticides are used responsibly to control numbers. "They need to do everything they can this year to really minimise the harvest spillages in what
may be quite difficult circumstances for them with rain damage, because that's going to have an impact not only the amount of grain they get to the
silo this year but on the level of mouse problems they have going on to seeding for next season," he said.

Haitian health authorities said Tuesday that 2,591 people have now died from the cholera epidemic that has afflicted the poverty-stricken Caribbean
country since mid-October. A total of 121,518 people have been affected by the outbreak, of whom 63,711 had to be hospitalized, though 61,917 of them
have since been released from doctors' care, according to the latest bulletin from the health ministry.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning U.S.-bound travellers to be on guard against whooping cough, which is also known as pertussis. Public
health officials warn that pertussis, or whooping cough, can be particularly serious in infants and children.Public health officials warn that
pertussis, or whooping cough, can be particularly serious in infants and children. (iStock)Outbreaks of the illness have been reported in New York
State and California. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says the outbreak in that state has reached epidemic levels, with 7,297 cases,
including 10 deaths, nine of them in infants under two months old. "We are facing what could be the worst year for pertussis that this state has seen
in more than 50 years," said Dr. Gilberto Chávez, the chief of the CDPH's centre for Iifectious disease and the state's epidemiologist.

Authorities in Mbulu District, Manyara Region, are scrambling to contain an outbreak of plague, an infectious disease spread by rodents. Reports say
at least 7 people have been admitted to a special center set up specifically to treat people who have contracted the disease. No deaths has been
reported so far. The district commissioner, Mr Anatory Choya, said that the outbreak had so far only been reported in areas bordering the government
forest reserve at the edge of the Rift Valley, and that it should be contained before spreading to other areas in the district. However, Mr Choya
hinted that the situation was worrying because he had been notified that the disaster management unit in the PMO was short of funds. "The outbreak
could worsen with the coming of the rainy season," he said, adding that areas where the disease outbreak has been reported included Tumati in
Dong'obesh Division, Murai (Mandisi) and Nandes Ward near the district headquarters. The acting district medical officer, Dr Elirehema Lakey, said
plague had been breaking out frequently in the district, adding that this was a matter of "grave concern". He said experts from the Sokoine
University of Agriculture (SUA) had been involved in research on rodents in the area where vermin numbers swell before the onset of rains.

Croatia 12/29/10

Health Minister Darko Milinovic said on Tuesday that one person had died from complications caused by the swine flu virus H1N1 and that about 100
people in Croatia were infected at the moment. Those ill are mainly young people, the youngest being a year-old baby and the oldest a 60-year-old man,
the one who died from complications, Milinovic told Hina, adding that no person older than 60 had been infected so far. The minister pointed to the
serious symptoms of swine flu, saying the consequences of last year's campaign against swine flu vaccination were now coming to light. "It would be
very useful now if people had been vaccinated againstswine flu last year as they would be resistant to the virus." Milinovic recommended that
everyone get vaccinated, notably chronic patients and the elderly. More than 20 people died of swine flu in Croatia last season.

Bulgaria 12/29/10

One person died from swine flu (AH1N1) in Bulgaria 2-3 weeks ago, the national consultant in epidemiology, Mira Kozhuharova, has announced. According
to Kozhuharova, three people have been registered with swine flu so far and one of them has died. The two other infected are in good condition. She
pointed out that the cases have been confirmed laboratory, but she refused to name the city, in which the person has died. “Bulgaria is so small and
we travel so often that it does not matter the city where the dead came from. The fact that the virus has been proved means that it circulates among
the Bulgarian society, as everywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere,” Kozhuharova said. In her words, there are no reasons for announcing epidemics
in Bulgaria and further measures will be taken as soon as this happens. However, she noted that the virus is circulating throughout most of the
European countries. Kozhuharova also warned about two other viruses, Brisbane and Perth, which were expected to hit Bulgaria at the end of the year
and the beginning of 2011. “There are death cases in every flu epidemics. However, we are not talking about a plague, but rather for a regular human
influenza, which carried the same risks as other types of flu,” the consultant said. She has explained that there are enough vaccines in the
pharmacies, which cover the three subtypes of the flu. They cost between BGN 12-15. Several people died at the end of last year during the swine flu
epidemics in Bulgaria. However, the victims worldwide were thousands.

South Korea 12/29/10

South Korea's farm ministry said Tuesday that it has found 20 dead spectacled teal ducks, apparently affected by the virulent strain of bird flu, and
have taken emergency decontamination measures. The discovery of the dead birds in Haenam 430 kilometres south of Seoul is the third such finding this
month and is raising concerns among local poultry farmers. The dead birds were found to be carrying the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza, but this
does not mean South Korea was affected by the disease since no domestically raised ducks and chickens have become sick, officials said. The latest
discovery comes after Seoul reported dead birds affected by bird flu on Dec 7 and Dec 10. Bird flu is an air-borne disease that is usually transmitted
between animals. The disease can spread to humans, but no human cases have been reported South Koreas so far. The ministry said despite no domestic
birds being affected so far, decontamination will be carried out within a 10 kilometre radius of where the dead teal ducks were discovered. Within the
newly designated decontamination area, there are some 43 farms raising 820,000 chickens and other birds, officials said. Frontline quarantine
officials said they have stepped up inspections on wild birds that migrate to the Korean Peninsula during the winter months, and have increased the
number of birds caught to check the bird flu strains.

Uganda 12/27/10

45 people have died as a result of the yellow fever outbreak that struck in 9 districts in northern Uganda, with another 178 others infected with the
said disease. The outbreak--which began a month ago--has just been confirmed by health officials in Kitgum to be yellow fever on Christmas Eve. All of
the cases that have been reported come from the northern districts of Abim, Agago, Lamwo, Kitgum, Pader, Gulu, Arua, Kaabong and Lira. Arrangements
have already been made by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the immediate transport and distribution of yellow fever vaccine vials for the 2.5
million people living in the affected areas to prevent the further spreading of the disease, Bosco Ochola, Chairman of the Kitgum Task Force told BBC
News. In addition to this, case surveillance and information dissemination through the use of radio and drama are being carried out by the task forces
to educate the people in these districts on how to protect themselves from being infected with this disease. Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic
disease that is transmitted by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti--a kind of mosquito that is only active during the daytime. Symptoms of the
disease include fever, nausea, bleeding, and vomiting. If left untreated, yellow fever may result to a number of complications including kidney
failure and death. The last time that Uganda faced such an outbreak was in 1972, almost 40 years ago.

Egypt 12/27/10

The ministry of health announced that 8 people died from swine flu today in the governorates of Giza, Gharbeya, Sharkeya, Fayyoum, and Assiout. Since
October, there have been 1152 cases of swine flu, including 56 deaths. The ministry of health's spokesman, Abdel Rahman Shaheen, stated that the
ministry detected 559 cases of swine flu in the period between 19 December to 25 December. According to the ministry’s lab results, swine flu (H1N1)
is spreading at the normal rate for seasonal influenza. The ministry stressed that it is vital for patients to seek medical help, specifically the
elderly, children, pregnant women and those who suffer from underlying diseases. The Tamiflu antiviral medication, one of the most commonly prescribed
treatments for swine flu, is available to patients for free in government hospitals. It can also be purchased from private pharmacies.

Haiti 12/27/10

Dozens of dead fish were found in recent days on the shores of the "étang Saumâtre". This water surface, covering an area of 170 sq km, is also
known as Lake Azuei and is located about thirty kilometers east of Port-au-Prince, to the southeast of Haiti in the "plaine du Cul de Sac" and
adjacent to the border with the Dominican Republic. Alerted to the situation by the people, the Haitian authorities were preparing Sunday to prohibit
the consumption and sale of fish and other products from the lake in several riverside towns, said Michel Chancy, the Secretary of State of Haiti
animal production. Fish and water samples were sent to the national laboratory but also in Mexico, for analysis to determine the causes of this
phenomenon. According to the testimony of residents, other animals have died after eating fish from Lake Azuei.

Sri Lanka 12/27/10

Swine flu in Sri Lanka has killed 22 people and infected more than 300 over the past two months, the island's health ministry said Monday. Official
figures showed that 22 people infected with H1N1 -- swine flu -- had died since October 25 while 342 cases were reported during this period. "The
strain of influenza affects peoples' lungs and triggers off a strain of viral pneumonia. The heavy rains and the cold weather helped spread the
virus," government epidemiologist Sudath Peiris said. The ministry urged people to avoid crowded places and ordered those managing public phone
booths to disinfect them at least eight times daily. The World Health Organization declared the swine flu pandemic over in August, more than a year
after the new virus spread around the world, sparking panic and killing thousands before fizzling out.

Syria 12/26/10

Syrian Health Ministry announced Sunday that three Syrians have died of H1N1 flu pandemic. The ministry source said that four infections were
uncovered earlier this month, three of them have died, whereas the fourth infection is still under medical treatment. H1N1 influenza virus has claimed
the lives of 150 among the 100, 000-plus laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases in the country since 2009 , the report said.

To be classed as an epidemic, new cases of influenza recorded by doctors have to number more than 174 per 100,000 people per week. This threshold was
breached last week, when there were 280 cases per 100,000 people.

Fears of a swine flu epidemic have grown after figures revealed the number of seriously ill patients being treated in hospital for influenza has
surged by 250 per cent in a week in the worst outbreak for 20 years.

Hempstead County Health Unit Administrator Jeannine Wilson is alerting the county of a county wide outbreak of “Pertussis,” or “whooping
cough.” Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease involving the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and chest). It is caused by a bacterium that is
found in the nose and throat of an infected person, according to Wilson and Centers for Disease Control information. Whooping cough begins as a mild
upper respiratory infection. Initially, symptoms resemble those of a common cold, including sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever and a mild cough.
Within two weeks, the cough becomes more severe and is characterized by episodes of numerous rapid coughs followed by a crowing or high pitched whoop.
A thick, clear mucous may be discharged. These episodes may recur for one to two months, and are more frequent at night, according to Wilson.

Wilson is advising that parents take this seriously and check immunization records for their children to make sure they have had the correct
immunizations. Your child's physician's office should have this record; and, while schools also have copies, they are currently out for the
Christmas holidays, Wilson said. Milller County has had a huge outbreak in adults, according to Wilson, and the adult immunizations are not as easy to
track. “If someone is showing any symptoms of this disease, they should see their physician or contact and let them know,” Wilson said. Wilson
said those who have been diagnosed with whooping cough (pertussis), those around the person should be treated as well, for preventative reasons.
Pertussis can occur at any age. Adults and adolescents have recently been recognized as a major source of pertussis, accounts for more than one-half
of the reported cases in the US, according to the CDC. The rest of the cases are in children less than 5 years of age and in infants younger than 6
months. Symptoms appear after exposure within six to 20 days, usually seven to 10, the agency notes. The disease is considered highly contagious
because a person can transmit pertussis from seven days following exposure to three weeks after the onset of coughing episodes, according to the CDC.
The period of spreading the disease is reduced to 5 days when antibiotic therapy is begun. The most effective way of controlling the outbreak is is
maintaining the highest possible level of immunization in the community, according to Wilson. Close contacts younger than 7 years who are not
immunized, or who have received fewer than four doses of pertussis vaccine, should have pertussis immunization initiated or continued, according to
the recommended schedule. Wilson also stressed there is a pertussis vaccine that is now available and should be given to adolescents and adults.

This immunization will not only help prevent pertussis in adolescents and adults, but will help reduce exposure of the disease from this age group to
younger children and infants. The treatment is currently with erythromycin or other appropriate antibiotics which can shorten the contagious period of
cases as well as protect close contacts. “Any persons who have been in contact with an infected individual should see their physician if they
develop respiratory symptoms for 14 days after the last contact with the infected individual,” Wilson said.

Authorities in Mbulu District, Manyara Region, are scrambling to contain an outbreak of plague, an infectious disease spread by rodents. Reports say
at least 7 people have been admitted to a special center set up specifically to treat people who have contracted the disease. No deaths has been
reported so far. The district commissioner, Mr Anatory Choya, said that the outbreak had so far only been reported in areas bordering the government
forest reserve at the edge of the Rift Valley, and that it should be contained before spreading to other areas in the district. However, Mr Choya
hinted that the situation was worrying because he had been notified that the disaster management unit in the PMO was short of funds. "The outbreak
could worsen with the coming of the rainy season," he said, adding that areas where the disease outbreak has been reported included Tumati in
Dong'obesh Division, Murai (Mandisi) and Nandes Ward near the district headquarters. The acting district medical officer, Dr Elirehema Lakey, said
plague had been breaking out frequently in the district, adding that this was a matter of "grave concern". He said experts from the Sokoine
University of Agriculture (SUA) had been involved in research on rodents in the area where vermin numbers swell before the onset of rains.

The death toll from the cholera epidemic that broke out in Haiti in mid-October now stands at 2,761, according to a bulletin released Wednesday by the
health ministry here. According to information posted on the ministry's Web page, 130,534 people have been infected with cholera, of whom 79,865 have
been hospitalized, although 68,932 of those have been released. Cholera, which had been eradicated in Haiti until its reappearance in October, has
spread to all 10 of the country's provinces, but the most seriously affected is the northwestern region of Artibonite, where 813 people have died
from the disease.

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